Various assemblies and systems utilize switches, such as electromechanical switches, to activate and deactivate certain applications. Acoustic wave touch actuated switches are used as an alternative to electromechanical switches. Unlike many electromechanical switches, acoustic wave touch actuated switches are rugged, explosion proof, operate well in the presence of liquids and other contaminants, have a lower power consumption, and may be incorporated and integrally formed in a wall of a housing or a device. Examples of acoustic wave switches are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,041, and United States Patent Application Publications US 2002/0126103, US 2002/0149570, US 2004/0051701, US 2004/0227740, and US 2005/0001515.
Typically, a user is not able to discover whether a switch is, or is susceptible to, malfunctioning until the switch is actuated. That is, a user typically discovers a malfunction only after the particular switch is engaged and does not perform as expected. In general, a user is unable to know if a particular switch will properly function until the user actuates the switch.
The operational status of an electromechanical switch is typically determined by the last actuation. As such, a user is unable to know if the switch will malfunction in the future.
Thus, a need exists for a system and method that indicates an actual or potential switch malfunctioning condition before a switch is actuated.